OREANDA-NEWS  Russia has shown itself to be a reliable supplier of gas to Turkey for many years, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar said.

"It is important for Turkey to receive competitive, cheap gas and to have a reliable supplier. Russia has proven to be a reliable supplier for many years," the minister told RIA Novosti.

Turkey's main natural gas suppliers are Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, but it also has LNG agreements with Swiss Mercuria, American ExxonMobil, British Shell and French TotalEnergies.

According to calculations by RIA Novosti based on data from the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), for eight months the share of Russian gas in Turkish imports was about 33%.